In today's manufacturing environment, robotic stations play a significant role in reducing costs and increasing the quality of manufactured products. As the complexity of manufactured products increases, so does the need for accuracy and repeatability in part placement. Generally, robotic stations utilize vision systems which provide necessary feedback for achieving the required accuracy and repeatability. The robotic stations include a robotic controller that processes image information provided by the vision system for controlling the movements of a robotic manipulator with a work envelope.
The robotic manipulator utilizes a gripper for capturing an object and placing it on a designated surface. A conventional vision system comprises a moving camera and a fixed camera including associated lighting and lenses. The moving camera is mounted on the robotic manipulator for locating the coordinates of the desired surface. The fixed camera through an image deflector captures the images of the object held by the gripper. The image deflector comprises a 45 degree angled mirror which deflects the image of the object held by the gripper to the fixed camera. The image information from the moving camera and the fixed camera provide the information required to align and place the object on appropriate places on the surface.
However, it is desired to eliminate one of the two cameras used in the typical vision system. This, in addition to reducing the cost of the vision system, greatly simplifies interfacing of the vision system with the robotic manipulator.